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A bank officer  milked more than HK$7.7 million from the account of an elderly customer over five years after gaining her trust in handling her money, a court heard.
Customer service officer Carrie Tsoi Ling-ling,  40, of Chiyu Banking Corporation, was accused in the District Court of asking retired doctor Tan Siew-main,  80, to sign a number of blank documents, which she then used to misappropriate the funds. 
Tsoi had handled Tan's account for four years and had built a good relationship with her when the first theft took place, the court heard.
Tsoi has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of theft from Tan's account and the accounts of Tan's two sons between 2001 and 2006.
Tsoi, Lorna Liu Ming-lai,  40, and Liu's mother, Wun Yun-yue,  66, also denied conspiring to launder money obtained from the alleged thefts.
Prosecutor Susanna Lee Wai-yan  told the court that Tan created a savings  account handled by Tsoi at the Quarry Bay branch of Chiyu Banking Corporation in 1997. Each time she moved branch, she asked Tan to move her account as well.
Tan discovered a large sum was missing in October 2006, when she wanted to buy a flat and checked her savings. She questioned Tsoi about the discrepancy and Tsoi told her that about HK$4 million was invested in various financial products and the money would be deposited back to her account later.
Having received nothing for four months Tan contacted Tsoi's supervisor. Tsoi then pleaded with Tan to tell the supervisor she had asked her to make investments at other banks.
A month later, Tsoi told Tan she had made profits on her investments at another bank. Tsoi took Tan to a bank, created a new account for her and deposited about HK$358,000 to the account over four days. Tan alerted the police  after discussing the matter with Tsoi's supervisor.
An investigation found that more than HK$5 million was transferred from Tan's account to Liu's account between October 2001 and June 2006. During the same period, Liu deposited more than HK$4 million to Tsoi's accounts in cheques. A cashier's order to the value of HK$200,000 was drawn from Tan's account to a credit card account of Wun's in March 2005. The rest of the money was withdrawn in cash.
Tan told the court she seldom visited the bank to manage her accounts. Tsoi would regularly give her bank documents, including blank forms,  for her to sign.
The trial continues today before Deputy Judge Ada Yim Shun-yee.



Bank officer took HK$7.7m from client, court told